Jennifer Siebel Newsom, The Wife Of The California Governor, Will Testify Against Harvey Weinstein At His Sexual Assault Trial In Los Angeles

BuzzFeed News has confirmed that Siebel Newsom is "Jane Doe #4" and accusing Weinstein of forcible oral copulation and forcible rape.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, filmmaker and the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, will be testifying against Harvey Weinstein in his second sexual assault trial that began this week in Los Angeles.

BuzzFeed News has confirmed with a source familiar with the situation that Siebel Newsom is "Jane Doe #4" and accusing Weinstein of forcible oral copulation and forcible rape related to incidents that occurred between 2004 and 2005.

Weinstein, who was first charged with rape and sexual assault in Los Angeles in 2020, faces 11 counts of sexual assault stemming from allegations by five women between 2004 and 2013. The former producer is facing charges of rape, sexual assault, forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by restraint, and sexual penetration by use of force.

The alleged incidents took place in West Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2004 and 2013. All five alleged victims are expected to testify along with several other witnesses who will discuss Weinstein's past behavior or “prior bad acts.”

In a statement sent to BuzzFeed News, Siebel Newsom's attorney, Elizabeth Fegan, confirmed that her client will be testifying in the trial.

“Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a purported business meeting that turned out to be a trap," Fegan said. “She intends to testify at his trial to seek some measure of justice for survivors and as part of her life’s work to improve the lives of women. Please respect her choice to not discuss this matter outside of the courtroom.”

Siebel Newsom first spoke of her experience with Weinstein in an op-ed published by HuffPost in 2017, just one day after the New York Times first reported allegations of sexual misconduct against the former producer.

“I can tell you that I believe every single word that was written in the extremely disturbing, but not all that shocking, New York Times piece published yesterday,” Siebel Newsom wrote. “Not all that shocking because very similar things happened to me.”

“I was naive, new to the industry, and didn’t know how to deal with his aggressive advances ― work invitations with a friend late-night at The Toronto Film Festival, and later an invitation to meet with him about a role in The Peninsula Hotel, where staff were present, and then all of a sudden disappeared like clockwork, leaving me alone with this extremely powerful and intimidating Hollywood legend,” she wrote.

Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault in New York in 2020. Last year, he was moved from a prison in New York to Los Angeles for him to stand trial. If convicted in this trial, he will be facing up to 140 years behind bars.

The Los Angeles trial is expected to take around two months. Jury selection began on Monday, and opening statements are scheduled to start on Oct. 24.

Weinstein, 70, has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty in both criminal cases (New York and Los Angeles). He is also currently appealing the New York conviction from 2020, with his attorneys arguing the judge and a juror were biased against him.

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